Houseboat having improved wall opening



Jan. 6, 1970 J. W. FREEMAN HOUSEBOAT HAVING IMPROVED WALL OPENING Filed May 22, 1968 FIG. 2

v INVENTOR.

JOHN W. FREEMAN j/anm V FIG. 4

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,487,483 HOUSEBOAT HAVING IMPROVED WALL OPENING John W. Freeman, 363 Afton Ave.,

Akron, Ohio 44313 Filed May 22, 1968, Ser. No. 731,117 Int. Cl. B60p 3/32 US. Cl. 9-1 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved type of wall construction with a dual purpose opening and a closure member associated with the opening that can fully enclose the interior area involved yet provide easy access thereto. The opening has particular utility as an access opening for structures which have relatively small interiors such as are provided on houseboats, camping trailers and the like. Generally speaking the improved wall construction includes a wall with a T-shaped opening therein within which first and second closure members are provided. The lower closure member is hinged to the wall on a vertical edge and serves as the bottom half of a dutch door to fill the lower portion of the T-shaped opening. The upper closure member is also hinged, preferably at right angles to the hinge of the first closure member, and is adapted to be swung as a unit into the open portion so as to open up the interior of the relatively small area. The upper closure member is further made in a 'U-shaped planar configuration so that a central door may be provided therein to coact with the lower closure member for normal usage as an access door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to an improved type of closure unit for gaining ingress and egress with respect to confined areas of the type normally found on houseboats, camping trailers and the like wherein the restrictions of space are relatively small. However, the principle of opening construction herein employed can be applied with equal utility to other forms of construction.

Description of the prior art While no known patents exist with respect to the principle being proposed herein it has long been known that ingress and egress with respect to a building, for example, can be obtained through the medium of a door that opens and closes with respect to a wall opening. The size and shape of such doors has varied in the past and further, in certain instances of garage door construction, auxiliary doors within the main doors have been provided so as to avoid the necessity for opening the main door in order to gain ingress and egress with respect to the building in question.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Applicant has discovered that all of the advantages of full enclosure against the elements can be obtained while simultaneously providing increased spaciousness by use of a T-shaped opening Within which first and second closure members are received. The first or lower closure member is vertically hinged with respect to the leg portion of the T-shaped opening and thereby opens and closes with respect to the same with appropriate hinges and locks being provided for this purpose.

The second or upper closure member generally fills the head portion of the T-shaped opening by being hinged, in the preferred form of the invention, across the upper 3,487,483 Patented Jan. 6, 1970 See edge of this opening. As shown in the preferred form this second or upper closure member is generally of inverted U-shaped planar configuration with an auxiliary upper door being vertically hinged along one end of the central opening of the U-shaped upper closure member so as to be capable of selectively coacting with either the lower closure member or the remainder of the upper closure member.

Production of an improved wall construction having the above characteristics accordingly becomes the principal object of this invention, with other objects thereof becoming more apparent upon a reading of the following brief specification considered and interpreted in the light of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved wall construction incorporated in the houseboat type of structure.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the houseboat shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the lines 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIGURE 1, the improved structure is generally incorporated in front wall 10 of a cabin enclosure 11 that is provided on the deck 12 of a houseboat of the type shown in FIGURE 1 with floatation pontoons 13, 13 serving to keep the just described unit afloat while a roofing member 14 serves to provide a covering for the cabin enclosure as well as providing an overhang for the front and rear deck areas of the houseboat. In this regard support posts 15, 15 are provided beneath the rearward edge of the roof 14 while similar support posts or poles 16, 16 are provided on the front deck for supporting the forwardmost edge of the roof unit 14 as clearly shown in FIG- URE 1 of the drawings. Front and rear guard rails 17 and 18 serve to enclose the front and rear decks in conventional manner.

With reference to the wall construction per se the same is normally incorporated in the front wall 10 and, as shown, embodies a T-shaped opening in the wall which includes a lower opening portion defined by the vertical edges 21 and 22 and forming the leg of the T-shaped opening and an upper opening portion that is defined by the edges 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 and forms the head of the T-shaped opening with the edges 23 and 24 being horizontal edges on opposed sides of the lower opening while the edges 25 and 27 extend vertically from edges 23 and 24 so as to connect with opposed ends of the horizontal edge 26 as clearly shown in FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings.

A vertical lower closure member 30 is provided and is preferably hinged as at 31, 31 to the vertical edge 21 of the lower opening and is further provided with a lock and handle mechanism 32 of any desired type and which works in cooperation with the edge surface 22 in known fashion.

With reference to the upper closure member 40 the same is preferably of two-piece construction so as to utilize a U-shaped base portion 41 and a central closure panel 42. In this regard the panel 42 is hinged as at 43 to one vertical edge 41a on the central opening of base portion 41 so as to be capable of opening in unison with the lower door when the unit is in the closed position of FIGURE 2 as described below.

Conventional latches 44 of the type shown in FIGURE 3 are utilized to lock the closure members 40 and 30 to each other. The latches 44 are preferably disposed interiorly so that when the unit is in the down or closed 3 position of FIGURE 2 it may be secured against opening from the interior of the unit.

It should be noted here that the U-shaped base 41 of upper closure member 40 and the central panel 42 are independently capable of being locked to the bottom portion of wall 11 and lower closure member 30 by latches 44, 44 for purposes which will be more fully described below.

Additionally at the lower outboard corners of the upper closure member 40 there are provided hook members 46, 46 with the arrangement of these hook members 46, 46 being such that the same may be received in the eyelets 60, 60 on the roof 14 so as to permit the unit 40 to be hooked to the upper or open position shown in FIG- URE 1.

It Will be observed that by this construction substantially more than half of the frontal wall of the houseboat is opened so as to give an impression of increased roominess and spaciousness even though the cabin enclosure area is relatively small in size.

In use or operation of the improved wall construction it is merely necessary that the unit be constructed as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

At this time, and assuming the unit to be closed as shown in FIGURE 2, the door defined by the members 30 and 42 can be opened as a unit provided that these doors are latched together as previously described so as to be swung in unison about their hinges.

If it is desired to open the upper closure member it is merely necessary that the door defined by member 30 and panel 42 be closed and the internal latches 44, 44 released so as to permit movement of panel 42 relatively of member 30. The base portion 40 can then be swung around the hinge points 48, 48 that are provided on its upper edge 46. When approximately 90 degree movement has occurred the unit will be in the position of FIGURE 1 at which time the hook members 46, 46 can be inserted within the eyelets 60, 60 so as to retain the entire upper closure member 40 in the upright position of FIGURE 1. It is to be noted that a flange 55 is secured to the inner face of the base portion 41 by weld 55a so as to prevent the panel from falling downward when the unit is in the position of FIGURE 1.

It should also be noted that the preferred form of the invention envisions the use of a roof 14 that overhangs the cabin 11 a sufficient distance to utilize the bottom as a suspension point for the upper closure member 40 when it is in the open position of FIGURE 1.

While a full and complete description of the invention has been made in accordance with the dictates of the patent statutes, it is to be' understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific construction herein illustrated. Accordingly, modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit hereof.

What is claimed is:

, LA houseboat having a substantially enclosed cabin of the character described, comprising;

(A) at least one wall having a main opening therein that is defined by a lower opening and an upper opening of greater width;

(B) a lower closure member hinged to a vertically e};-

tending edge on the lower opening and being adapted to open and close with respect to the same; Y

(C) an upper closure member hinged with respect to at least one edge portion of the upper portion of said main opening and being movable between open and closed positionswith respect thereto; and

(D) said upper closure member including at least one panel member movable relatively of the remaining components of said upper closure member in coaction with said lower closure member during the period that said upper and lower closure members are in closed position.

2. The device of claim 1 further characterized by the presence of overhanging roof means and connecting means for attaching said upper closure member to said roof when said upper closure member is in open position.

3. A houseboat of the character described, compris- (A) a floating platform having a deck surface;

(B) a cabin secured to said deck and having at least one wall surface projecting perpendicularly from said. deck surface; g

(C) first door means permitting ingress and egress between said cabin and the portion of said deck adjacent thereto;

(D) an upper panel hinged with respect to an opening in said wall surface and being movable between open and. closed positions;

(E) second door means hinged with respect to said closure panel and being adapted to move in unison with said first door means when said closure panel is in said closed position;

(F) the hinge connection of said closure panel being disposed at a right angle with respect to the hinge connection of said first door means.

4. A houseboat of the character described, comprising;

(A) a floating platform having a deck surface;

(B) a cabin secured to said deck and having at least one wall surface projecting perpendicularly from said deck surface;

(C) first door means permitting ingress and egress between said cabin and the portion of said deck adjacent thereto;

(D) an upper panel hinged with respect to an opening in said wall surface and being movable between open and closed positions;

(E) second door means hinged with respect to said closure panel and being adapted to move in unison with said first door means when said closure panel is in said closed position;

(F) said first door means having a width less than the width of said closure panel as viewed from said deck.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,199,127 8/1965 Hunter. 3,411,819 11/1968 Tyree et al. 296-23 TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner us. o1. x1e a e- 

